Chapter 1: Welcome to Vale
Weiss stared grimly at the quickly approaching shoreline, the land where she would be spending the rest of her years. She sighed and looked down to the wooden floorboards beneath her, if it wasn't for Ironwood, she wouldn't be in this mess. She took in a breath and gazed toward the shoreline once more, if it wasn't for Vale, she would still be at home and in the company of her sister.
The sounds of footsteps stole Weiss' attention from her thoughts. She turned her head and was met with the sight of one of her royal guards, they wore a large metal helmet with helmet, chainmail from the neck down, metal gauntlets and boots, and a white tunic that displayed the Schnee coat of arms. The coat of arms had a polygon in the center, surrounded by another one that looked as though several speared were thrusting outwards from it, with even more pointed outwards at the angles.
The knight knelt on one knee, "We'll be landing in Vale in several minutes your royal highness."
Weiss put her hands behind her back and smiled at the guard, "Thank you Ruth, is there anything else I need to know about?"
Ruth, who was still kneeling down let out a small hum, "Yes ma'am, there will be a small escort from the Arc family." The man paused before continuing, "They will then escort you to the Palace, where you will meet the King."
The Schnee let out a small hum of approval before turning her gaze back toward the pier, "Tell me about the Arc's, I've heard about their exploits but what about themselves."
The guard nodded before answering, "I know very little my royal highness," he answered, then took a breath, "What I do know however is that the heir of the Arc's a young man named 'Jaune' is the youngest and least experienced in combat."
Oh great, Weiss thought to herself, "Thank you Ruth, you can return to your post now."
The man nodded before standing back up, bowing once more, and leaving the bow of the ship. Weiss' gaze drifted back toward the now in sight port, she let out a small hum of confusion when she realized the lack of a Naval Fleet. Her gaze drifted a small party of guards and assembled servants on the pier, already present and ready for her arrival. A sigh left her lips, she would never get used to things like this.
Once the ship had dropped the ramp, Weiss made her way down to the group awaiting her. Immediately, the men knelt down and put their right arm over their hearts. Meanwhile, the women crossed their left leg behind their right and bobbed a curtsy.
"Greetings your royal highness." A deep voice spoke.
Weiss turned to see what she assumed to be Jaune Arc, the heir to the Arc family. He had long blonde hair that had been tied into a wolf's tail, dark blue eyes, a defined jawline and a smile on his face. He wore chainmail armor that went down to his knee and was covered by iron shoulder pads, and a white tunic with yellow lining. He wore brown slacks that were covered by iron knee pads and shin guards and steel boots. A brown belt went around his waist, that held a sheath for a large sword with a golden cross guard, blue leather grip, and golden pommel, or the very end of the hilt. His left hand held a Heater shield, it was white with a silver lining, with two gold crescent moons that curved away from the bottom of the shield.
She bobbed a curtsy and returned the greeting with a pleasant smile, "Good morning Sir Jaune Arc, I am looking forward to the pleasantries later today."
Jaune put both of his hands behind his back, "As am I," he then extended his arm out toward the woman, "May I?"
Weiss went silent for a moment before responding, "You may." With those two words, Weiss and Jaune began to make their way to the Arc household.
As they walked through the streets of Vale, Weiss was able to see the sights and people. As they left the pier, they passed through a gatehouse and made their way into a marketplace. The marketplace was a large community of merchants, farmers, and many others set out their goods in stands for others to buy. Most were covered with a silk roof for shade, and a small table or crate tilted forwards to display their goods. For a blacksmith, he would display the armor, weaponry, or simple contraptions he had created. For a farmer, they would have a crate tilted forward filled with their crops, be it bread, tomatoes, apples or whatever.
Weiss looked up at the knight next to her, "Sir Jaune Arc, I have a question I would like to ask."
The knight smiled at the statement, "Ask away my royal highness."
Weiss looked back toward the pier, once again noticing the absence of any Navy, "I couldn't help but notice the lack of a naval battlegroup."
Jaune let out a small a small hum before responding, "The fleet is putting down a revolt at Patch, an island farther up the coast." He moved his gaze to the Schnee princess, "We needed a fleet powerful enough to blockade the island, and the one here was perfect for the job."
Weiss gave a small hum of appreciation and turned her attention toward their new location.
Having passed through another gatehouse, they were now deeper in the city. Instead of a market place, this was now a residential district, stone and wood were the most seen and used materials in the area. The streets were paved with ancient stones of those who came before, and the houses were made of stone and wood. Many houses were made up of two or more levels, for most houses the bottom level had stone walls with wooden beams used to support the frame of the house itself. The second level was made completely of wood, it would have two windows on each side with many support and reinforcing beams. The roof was of an A-frame with one more window, Weiss assuming the window leads into an attic for storage or perhaps another room.
The group continued on its way, eventually passing through another gatehouse and into the deepest portion of the city, the noble district. The houses went from half wood- half stone, all the way to full stone buildings with large windows and massive pillars and large metal doors. Men walked around with dark blue cloaks while women were wearing expensive silk dresses, many were sat down in their estates drinking the most expensive wine they had available.
A few minutes past before they made it to the Arc Manor, Weiss looked on with surprise at the large building in front of her. The building was a tall building, the bottom floor had a porch going all the way around, with windows and bars covering the panes of glass. The second floor was nothing more than windows that exposed the large interior of the mansion, and the top floor had ten marble pillars on each side and three large windows, with two smaller windows beside the three large ones.
Jaune let out a small sigh as he gazed at the manor. He then took a breath and turned to the girl next to him, "Welcome to the manor your royal highness," as she was formally welcomed to the manor, a group of three servants walked up to the group. Jaune gestured to them before speaking once more, "Please allow these women to escort you to your room."
Weiss smiled and nodded, bobbing a curtsy once more before turning and following the servants. Each servant had a matching set of clothes, a cotton dress, apron, shirt, and garb to go over their head. Weiss couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity at all of the wealthiness that surrounded her at this moment, it felt very at home.
As the servants lead Weiss to her room, they entered the main hall of the mansion. It was a large room with white marble pillars, checkered floors, and many oil paintings on the walls in between the large windows. Opposite of the windows sat a large staircase which Weiss assumed lead up to the bedrooms.
They soon made their way up the marble stairs and soon found themselves on the second floor. The second floor had hardwood floors, mahogany walls, and many chandeliers dangling from the ceiling. The top of the staircase was centered between four long corridors, each one pointing a different direction. The corridor in front of the staircase pointed north, the two on either side were pointed east and west, and lastly, the corridor behind the staircase was pointed south.
The servants lead the heiress down the northern corridor and past a dozen doors before they reached her room. Once they did the three servants turned toward Weiss and smiled, finally giving the heiress a full view of the women.
The one closest to the door was a tall and skinny woman with long blonde hair and hazel eyes. The second girl was short and plump, with shoulder-length brown hair, green eyes, and a small rounded nose. The last servant was of average height, had blue eyes, and black mid-back length hair.
The blonde opened the door to her chamber, while the other two bowed to the heiress, "Welcome to your chamber you're royal highness."
Weiss made her way into her chamber before turning to look at the servants, "If I am in need of something, I will summon you."
The servants nodded before closing the door, Leaving the heiress alone in her chambers. The heiress let out a small sigh before gazing the room she'd be staying in for the foreseeable future. Opposite the door she had just entered from sat two large doors which led out to a sizable balcony that overlooked the rest of the area. As she made her way further into the chamber she noticed a crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the roof, with a bed pushed to the wall underneath it. The bed had a gold frame with white sheets, pillows, and a comforter with two golden crescent moons pointed toward the foot of the bed with matching curtains. Opposite the bed was a subchamber that held several towels next to a stone bath. Weiss examined the bath for a few moments, it must have been three feet deep and five feet in length, just enough room for her to stretch out. Just above the side of the bath sat a small ledge with a window that showed the outside world.
Just at that moment the servants arrived with her stuff, laid it down on the bed, bowed to the heiress, and left. Weiss let out a small chuckle, even with a place as run down as Vale, the people still knew the power of those in charge. She glanced across the empty chamber then let out a sigh, it was time for her to unpack and make this place her home.
"This is gonna be fun…"
Meanwhile in the main chambers of the castle, Lavi Arc head of the Arc household stared down at a letter that the lead Royal Gaurd had just handed him. It was sealed with a wax Schnee coat of arms and was written in very expensive ink, it read:
To Lavi Arc
The Head of the Arc Heritage and Household
Many years ago the people of Atlas and Vale spilled each other's blood, many had died on each side. We sent our armies against each other as if the world depended on it, but that is neither here nor there. Peace had been achieved and with it an end to the slaughter and a chance to bridge the gap of our two peoples.
I know that you have many daughters but only one son fit to be the heir of your household, I am in a similar predicament…
You have already been informed of my daughter Wiess' involvement with the political standing of our two kingdoms and our hope that she'll warm tensions between them. However, there is another opportunity that has presented itself to us, one that would be foolish to pass up.
Weiss is a prime candidate for the merger of the elite families of Vale and Atlas, she could bring both of our families wealth, political power, and most of all show the people of Vale and Atlas; respectively, how invested in the peace between our two nations.
This deal is the only way to keep the peace between our two nations, I urge you! Reach a swift decision!
From Jacques Schnee
The head of the Schnee Dynasty
Lavi looked up from the letter, a grim look on his face. Jacques was right, this was both a short term solution for him and a long term solution for Vale, which was only proved by Patch's recent revolt. He brought a hand to his beard, he'd have to think on this…
It may be the only way...